Process and apparatus for separating laminated glass sheets



y 1939- F. w. HALL 7 2,156,688

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LAMINATED GLASS SHEETS Filed March 4, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l it 23* W15; 19

INVENTUR. FzH/VK 6U. HHL. L.

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tii g RNEyfi May 2, 1939; F. w. HALL 2,156,688 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LAMINATED GLASS SHEETS 'Filed March 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r4 6% m A INVENIUR.

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May 2, 1939. E. w. HALL I 2,156,688 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING LAMINATED GLASS SHEETS Filed March 4, 1938 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 V INVENTOR. Fen/we )4: 7404. 1..

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Patented May 2, 1939 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARAT- ING LAMINATED GLASS-SHEETS Frank Hall, Tarentum, Pa. Company,

burgh Plate Glass assignor to Pitts- Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 4, 1938, Serial No.

6 Claims. (Cl. 4981) The invention relates to a process and apparatus for separating the sheets of a laminated safeother types of interlayer, including-the resins,

such as vinyl acetal, the acid procedure is not practicable due to the resistance of the resin to decomposition. Further, the acid is expensive, and disagreeable to handle and the separation requires a long period. 'One of the objects of the,

present invention is to provide a process not requiring the use of acid, which is applicable to the separation of laminated plates with all types of interlayers, including the resins, which can be practiced at a low cost and which is applicable to the separation of bent and flat laminated plates. A further object is the provision of a cheap simple apparatus for carrying out the process which requires a minimum amount of time and attention on the-part of the operator, and which can be used witout danger of breakage or other injury to the reclaimed glass. Certain embodiments of the preferred apparatus are .shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through one form Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line III-III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a modified type of apparatus. Fi 5 is an end elevation of part of the apparatus of Fig. 4. And Figs. 6 and '7 are enlarged detail views showing the stop construction employed in the construction of Figs. 4 and 5, Fig. 6 being a longitudinal section and Fig. '1 a transverse section on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6.

The apparatus in both modifications is shown as applied to the separation of the sheets of curved plates of safety glass, but it will be understood that the process is equally applicable to the separationof the glass sheets in fiat safety glass, only slight modification being requiredin the apparatus in order to so apply the process. process is especially valuable inconnection with curved safety glass, since such glass, in most cases, can not be cut into smaller sections in order to salvage a portion of the product as is the case with flat safety glass.

Referring tothe apparatus of Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

' nr as the sleeve It.

I is a tank in which the process is carried out, the liquid employed in such tank being oil or some high boiling liquid so that relatively high temperatures may be employed without generating pressure. The tank is shown as provided with 5 an inlet pipe 8 and an outlet pipe 9 to promote the circulation of the contents of the tank through a suitable heating apparatus which is not shown.

The frame for supporting the laminated sheets, 10 which are to be separated, comprises a base l0 mounted on the bottom of the tank and a pair of vertical posts It, It tied together at the top by a cross member l2. In order to support the curved composite plate, whose sheets I3 and l4 16 are to be separated from the interlayer IS, a pair of sleeves l6, it are mounted upon the posts and held in any desired position of adjustment by means of the screws l 'l having the operating handles l8. These sleeves each have a projecting 20- toe l9 (Fig. 3) which extends beneath the lower edge of the limited plate and supports it in vertical position. As indicated in Fig. 3, the toes l9 project beneath only the plate l3, which lies next to the frame, the other glass plate It being free to move downwardwhen the interlayer I5 is softened. Means are provided for applying downward pressure to the sheet M in the form of a bar 20 which extends transversely of the frame 3 This bar is connected to the base by means of the and engages the upper edge of the glass sheet coil spring 2 l which is under suitable tension, so that when the parts are assembled, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, a substantial downward force is applied to the sheet ward relative to the sheet l3 which is supported upon the toes l9. In order to prevent the assembly or one of the sheets thereof from falling away from the frame, a pair of flexible guide bands 22, 22 are preferably employed, such bandsbeing sesured at their lower ends to-the sleeves 23. These sleeves are clamped in position in the same man- The upper ends of the bands l2 and are secured at such 22 pass over the bar upper ends by means of a pair of pins 24, which 45 extend through perforations in the bands, thus making these bands adjustable and readily detachable. The sleeves 23 also perform another function, in that they serve as stops for limiting the downward movement of the sheet II when 50.

such sheet is loosened and slides downward over the sheet l3. This guards against the danger of the plate moving down too rapidly through the bath and striking the bottom of the tankinsuch manner as to cause breakage.

M, tending to move it down- 5 The temperature in the tank required to soften the interlayer will vary depending upon the character of such interlayer. In the case of a vinyl acetal interlayer, a satisfactory temperature has been found to range from 300 to 310 deg. F. When the temperature of the assembly approaches this point, the interlayer is softened to such an extent that the spring 2| moves the plate ll downward past the plate I3, thus separating the sheets. Films of the resin still remain on the surfaces of the glass plates, but are easily removed by placing the plates in an acid bath for a short period of time. While it is possible to secure the separation of the sheets by gravity without the use of the spring 2|, such spring is from a practical standpoint quite essential, in that the time required when the spring is used is much less than that necessary ifthe weight of the sheet I4 is depended upon to cause its downward movement to produce a separation from the sheet l3. There is thus a considerable saving in time and theheat losses in the tank are much less with this shortened period.

Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate the application of the process to the separation of the sheets of curved safety glass in a horizontal position and without the use of a liquid, such as is employed in the construction of Figs. 1 to 3. As a substitute for the tank heretofore described, the furnace 25 is used, such furnace'being suitably heated by means of the gas burners 26 which bring the plates to be salvaged to the temperature necessary for softening the plastic material of the interlayer. The furnace is also provided with a roller runway 21 and has at one end a vertically movable door 28. The curved glass plate to be treated, is in this instance, supported upon a frame comprising a. pair of plates 29, 29 secured together at intervals by the tie bars 30. The frame is supported upon the rollers 21 constituting the runway and is easily moved along such runway to carry the plate to be treated into the furnacein the position shown at Fig. 4 and to remove it when the separating operation is completed. Theglass sheet 3| which engages the frame is held against endwise movement to the left by means of a pair of stop members 32,32 which engage the sheet 'atits left hand end. These stop members do not extend inwardly toward the center of curvature of the assembly a suflicient distance to engage the end of the up= per sheet 33 so that when the interlayer is softened, there is nothing to prevent the upper sheet 33 from being moved to the left onto the left hand .end of the frame. This separating movement is accomplished by means of a push bar 34 having a portion 35 which rests upon the upper surface of the sheet 33 and a pair of fingers 36 which extend just far enough down to engage the edge of the sheet 33, such fingers being carried by a transverse bar 36a secured to the end of the rod, as indicated in Fig. 5. The heat conditions necessary are the same as in the constructions of Figs. 1 to 3, and when the proper temperature is secured, no difficulty is encountered in sliding the upper glass sheet of the pair off of the lower member of the pair so that it lies on the portion of the frame 29 to the left of the stop members 32, 32 (Fig, 4). When this separation has been accomplished, the door 28 is raised and the frame is run out of the furnace to the right on the rollers 21 which constitute the runway.

The construction of the stop members 32 is preferably as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein 31 is the upper edge of the portion of the frame 29 which supports the assembly and 33 is the upper edge of the portion of the frame which supports the glasssheet 33 after it has been pushed to the left (Fig. 4) off of the sheet 3|. The stop members are in the form of half discs 39, which fit removably in slots in the side members 29 and are provided with a toe 40 which engages the end of the lower sheet 3|, as heretofore explained. A pair of pins 4| lying on either side of the plate 29 serve to prevent accidental displacement of the stop member. Each stop member is also provided with a flange portion 42 which fits around the outer surface of the sheet 3| at its end and thus acts to flx the distance which the flange or toe 411 projects upward, this distance being approximately the thickness of the sheet 3|. As heretofore pointed out, both types of apparatus, withslight modification as to the form of the supporting frames for the assemblies, may be used for the separation of the sheets of fiatsafety glass.

What I claim is:

1. A process of separating two sheets of glass secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material, which consists in supporting the as- 'sembly with the edge of one of the sheets held against movement in the plane of the sheet, heating the assembly in a fluid, so as to soften the plastic material, and applying pressure to the edge of the other sheet in the plane thereof at its end which is remote from that at which the first sheet is held against movement, so as to cause said other sheet to slide over the first sheet and separate therefrom.

2. A process of separating two sheets of glass secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material, which consists in supporting the assembly in vertical position with the bottom edge of one sheet held against downward movement, heating the assembly and applying downward pressure to the upper edge of the other sheet, so as to cause-such other sheet to slide downward over the first sheet and separate therefrom.

3. Apparatus for separating two sheets of glass secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material, comprising a frame for carrying the assembly, stop means on the frame for-engaging the edge of the sheet which is next to the frame, means for heating the assembly so as to soften the plastic material, and means for applying pressure to the edge of the other sheet which is remotefrom the stop means and in the direction toward such stop means so as to cause such other sheet to slide over the first sheet when the plastic material is softened by the heat.

secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material, comprising an upright frame for carrying the assembly in an upright position, stop means on the frame for engaging the lower edge of the sheet which is next to the frame, means for heating the assembly so as to soften the plastic material, and means for applying downward pressure to the upper edge of the other sheet so as to cause such other sheet to slide downward over the first sheet when the plastic material is softened by the heat.

5. Apparatus for separating two sheets of glass secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material, comprising an upright frame for carrying the assembly. in an upright position, stop means on the frame for engaging the lower edge of-the sheet which is next to the frame, means for heating the assembly so as to soften the plastic material, means for applying downward 1 over the first sheet softened by the heat,

pressure to the upper edge of the other sheet so as to cause such other sheet to slide downward when the plastic material is stop means on the frame for limiting the downward movement of said other sheet, and guide means on the frame forpreventing the sheets from moving away from the frame in a lateral direction.

6. Apparatus for separating two sheets of glass secured together by a non-shatter layer of plastic material; comprising a vertical frame for carrying the assembly in an upright position, stop means projecting forwardly from the frame for engaging the lower horizontal edge of the glass sheet which lies next to the frame, leaving the corresponding edge of the other sheet unsupported, a bath of high boiling liquid surrounding the frame and assembly, and means for heating the bath to a temperature such that it will cause the plastic material to soften so that the unsupported sheet will slide downward over the supported sheet and separate therefrom.

FRANK W. HALL. 

